Monroe county was created on May 15,1821 by an act of the Georgia General Assembly, making it the 50th county of Georgia. The county was divided a year later becoming part of Pike county. It was named for the 5th president of the United States, James Monroe. The courthouse was rebuilt in 1896 and it was restored in 1990. The county courthouse is located in the center of the city of Forsyth. It is called the “Square” because it occupies one city block, which is shaped like a square. The train depots are located adjacent to the main railroad tracks of Forsyth just a few blocks from the courthouse.

The city of Forsyth is the county seat and is named for John Forsyth, who was a minister to Spain and negotiated the purchase of Florida in 1819. Forsyth is about 60 miles south of the city of Atlanta and it is about 20 miles north of the city of Macon. The train depot and the courthouse are the two oldest buildings in Forsyth. Forsyth isn’t a very big town but Monroe County has a lot of land that is used primarily for farming. The latitude of Forsyth is 33.034N. The longitude of Forsyth is 83.938W. It is in the Eastern Standard Time zone and the elevation is 719 feet. The estimated population in 2003 was 4,354.

Information gathered by SaQuasha.


Basic Information
(gathered by T. Durrett)
  • Was built in the time around 1826.
  • Was demolished then replaced by the building we know today which was built in 1896.
  • The style of the current courthouse is a Romanesque Revival/High Victorian
  • The designer was Bruce & Morgan
  • Builder was Knoxville Building & construction

Square Feet (Net)
  • Basement-2,729
  • First Floor- 6,100
  • Second Floor-4,700
  • Third Floor-1,750
  • Total-12,134

Building Systems
  • Load Bearing Masonry Walls
  • Wood Roof Truss
  • Wood Floor System

Historical Building Materials
  • Stone Columns with Capitals
  • Running Bond Brick Masonry Walls with Rusticated Detailing and Ashlar Stonework
  • Historic Wood and Glass Paneled Entry Doors
  • Terra Cotta Detailing/ Ornamentation
  • Sheet metal tower ornament including cornice, urns and pediments.

T. Durrett would like to thank Mr. Morgan provider of this info and vice president of the Whistle-Stop museum and Historic Society of Monroe County


The following are photos of the courthouse taken by Bridget.

East_side_of_courthouse_2.jpg
East Side - view 2
East_side_of_courthouse_3.jpg
East Side - view 3
East_side_of_courthouse_-_details.jpg
East side - close up
South_side_of_courthouse_2.jpg
South side - view 2
South_side_of_courthouse.jpg
South side
North_side_of_courthouse.jpg
North side
West_Side.jpg
West side - Taken by Kacie

Here are two photos taken by Bridget of the Northern face of the Monroe County Courthouse.

Monroe_County_Courthouse_northern_face_2.jpg


Monroe_County_Courthouse_Northern_Face_1.jpg


Here is a link to Monroe County's website: http://www.monroecountygeorgia.com/
Monroe_Co_Courthouse_-_Dimensions_-_Metric.jpg
Exterior Dimensions - Metric Measurements - Calculated by KaDjah

Monroe_Co_Courthouse_-_Dimensions.JPG
Exterior Dimensions of the Monroe Co. Courthouse